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In this Discussion
- 46HudsonPU February 2010
- 51hornetA February 2010
- 66patrick66 February 2010
- bent metal February 2010
- Browniepetersen February 2010
- RL Chilton February 2010
Tucker conv.
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On the detroit news joyrides webb site, it features the russo& steele auction in feb. When they had the storm,it shows some of the damage to the cars. But also it has the tucker conv. Which was bid to $1,400,000 but still did not meet reserve. Wow--i really like it, nice looking.
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dummy wrote:On the detroit news joyrides webb site, it features the russo& steele auction in feb. When they had the storm,it shows some of the damage to the cars. But also it has the tucker conv. Which was bid to $1,400,000 but still did not meet reserve. Wow--i really like it, nice looking.
That's really an outrageous price considering that the Tucker Club has not given the car it's stamp of approval (authenticated), nor are they going to. They have determined there is just not enough validity through documentation to register the car as the genuine article.
However, it IS made from Tucker parts, is the only one like it, and certainly should have a high value. I can't really imagine anyone paying 1M+ without it truly being a factory prototype.
But, what do I know? It is very cool looking, though. It's nice to fantasize that that's what Preston might have had in mind. -
Russell, It must be real I read about it on the Internet. They would not put out a story if it wasn't real would they?
Anyway I am off to the garage to vacuum out my James Dean 51 Hornet.www.hudsonmotorcar.org -
The following link is to the Tucker Club's official status on the matter. This is still current as of 1/3/10.
http://www.tuckerclub.org/html/news1.php?press_id=43&
The following is included in part:
"TACA and independent historians alike have investigated this contention at great lengths. While many respect the visual appeal and presentation of this “Tucker convertible," the overwhelming consensus of individual opinions continues to be that inadequate evidence exists to support the claim of this being an original Tucker convertible (with many believing that the evidence to date negates the possibility of it being a genuine Tucker convertible)." -
dummy wrote:
I recall that when the owner(s) began their website while the car was still under construction, they indicated that a sales price on the unfinished conv was $10,000,000.00.On the detroit news joyrides webb site, it features the russo& steele auction in feb. When they had the storm,it shows some of the damage to the cars. But also it has the tucker conv. Which was bid to $1,400,000 but still did not meet reserve. Wow--i really like it, nice looking.
No idea what they think it is worth now - but we know it is more than $1,400,000.00.
Could it be that the guy selling the 'Grapes of Wrath' Hudson and this guy with the Tucker conv. are one and the same? 'Shaky' claims of authenticity (to say the least) appear to be very similiar... -
51hornetA wrote:Russell, It must be real I read about it on the Internet. They would not put out a story if it wasn't real would they?
Anyway I am off to the garage to vacuum out my James Dean 51 Hornet.
James Dean 51 Hornet?!?!?!:eek: That thing must be worth a fortune!
Maybe you could create a blog, you know, to authenticate it. -
Thanks Bent now that you have mentioned my James Dean car its authenticated in my book. Of course what I am not saying is its actually Jimmy Deans car you can still smell the sausages www.hudsonmotorcar.org
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Wow, what a small world. I once bought a Porsche Sportster convertible that had been a rollover from James Dean. He and I worked in a bodyshop here in Ogden, Utah. He taught me a lot of the body and fender stuff you can not get in a tech school. He left the body shop about five years ago and went into retirement. A tall blond guy.... Small world I would say; I did not know that he once owned a Hudson.....Brownie
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It's a nice job of building a "one-of-none" built."The time has come", the Walrus said, "to speak of many things. Of shoes and ships and sealing wax, of cabbages and kings. And why the sea is boiling hot,
And whether pigs have wings..." -
Here is a video where they discuss the restoration of this vehicle. Kind of interesting the info about the back of the car. Seems they had to fab the sedan parts to fit the flow of rear. If it was a prototype convertible why wasn't this done already.
http://www.youtube.com/user/RideswithChuck#p/u/10/y_Wt9cVlngIwww.hudsonmotorcar.org -
51hornetA wrote:Here is a video where they discuss the restoration of this vehicle. Kind of interesting the info about the back of the car. Seems they had to fab the sedan parts to fit the flow of rear. If it was a prototype convertible why wasn't this done already.
http://www.youtube.com/user/RideswithChuck#p/u/10/y_Wt9cVlngI
Well, if you are a proponent of this car being a true factory prototype, then what the owner of Benchmark was saying in the video would hold true. As a prototype, before parts were specifically stamped for convertible production, parts were "fabbed" from current parts on hand, i.e., sedan parts. No different than what Hudson did when they started their stepdown convertibles, or many other manufacturers. According to reports, this "factory prototype" was started, but never finished before the corp. was shut down. All of this jives pretty well and the feasibility factor is well grounded, just not well documented.
On the flip side, if you are a believer that this car was strictly adapted from leftover sedan parts and was indeed, not a factory prototype (a theory I subscribe to), the methodology remains the same.
If this car were built in my shop, the method would be no different (although on a tighter budget, I'm sure).
Regardless, they did a great job on the car. I'm sure whoever ends up with it, will be a very proud owner of this very unique and controversial automobile.
By the way, Sean, thanks for posting. -
Seems pretty telling the seller will not release the engine and chassis numbers for verification. Its one of those things where less info is better than more. He cannot really backup his claim so best to say and share nothing. Its like buying a Hudson Italia and making a convertible and saying it was a prototype and since there are actually sketches and a clay model of one you could say it was a lost prototype as well and ask 10 million for it.
The one real flaw in this whole story is Tuckers belief in safety. He built the Tucker for maximum occupant safety. And a convertible contradicts those beliefs in every way possible. Just cannot reconcile that with his safety statements.
Its all he said she said with a shrug of the shoulders and a wink. You know it could be true we have a guy who knew a guy whose uncle talked to a guy who saw a note that another guy read about Tuckers wife.
I am really sure with the company going bankrupt and the lawsuits Tucker sat down and said hey a good use of my guys time will be to make a convertible as a present for my wife. I wish I could go to the auction as I would like to find Jimmy Hoffa's body in the trunk up front.
I am not a fan of this type of thing. Same happens at BJ auctions plenty of those supposed numbers matching muscle cars are well put together clones. I really shake my head when I see those cars sell for those dollars. In my Dad's shop we worked on all of those cars and they were basically junk. Good in a straight line but stopping and going around corners was not part of the design. They were dismal for maintenance but hey we made a living fixing them. Fit and finish was poor. We would get cars in where you could sit in the drivers seat and see out the gaps in the doors. Sigh.....still I get a good laugh so I am ok.www.hudsonmotorcar.org
